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Childbirth on the baby side
Fortunately, the time is long past when the fetus was considered a collection of cells without interest. Researchers are looking more and more at antenatal life and discovering every day the incredible skills that babies develop in utero. The fetus is a sensitive being, which has a sensory and motor life long before birth. But if we now know a lot about pregnancy, birth still hides many mysteries. What does the baby perceive during childbirth?Is there any fetal pain in this special moment ? And if so, how is it felt? Lastly, is this sensation memorized and can it have consequences for the child? It is around the 5th month of pregnancy that sensory receptors appear on the skin of the fetus. However, is it capable of reacting to external or internal stimuli such as touch, variations in temperature or even brightness? No, he will have to wait a few more weeks. It is not until the third trimester that the conduction pathways that can transmit information to the brain are active. At this stage and therefore all the more so at the time of birth, the baby is capable of feeling pain.
The baby sleeps during childbirth
At the end of the pregnancy, the child is ready to go out. Under the effect of the contractions, it gradually descends into the pelvis which forms a sort of tunnel. It performs various movements, changes its orientation several times to get around obstacles while at the same time the neck expands. The magic of birth is operating. While one might think he was being mistreated by these violent contractions, he is nevertheless sleeping. Monitoring the heart rate during childbirth confirms that the baby dozes during labor and does not wake up until the moment of expulsion. However, some very intense contractions, especially when they have been stimulated as part of a trigger, can wake him up. If he is asleep, it is because he is calm, that he is not in pain … Or else is that the passage from one world to another is such an ordeal that he prefers not to be awake. Theory shared by some birth professionals like Myriam Szejer, child psychiatrist and maternity psychoanalyst: “We can think that hormonal secretions lead to a kind of physiological analgesia in the baby. Somewhere, the fetus falls asleep to better support the birth ”. However, even when drowsy, the baby reacts to childbirth with different cardiac variations. When his head presses on the pelvis, his heart slows down. Conversely, when the contractions twist his body, his heart rate is racing. “Fetal stimulation causes a reaction, but all of this tells us nothing about the pain,” says Benoît Le Goëdec, midwife. As for fetal suffering, this is also not the expression of pain as such. It corresponds to poor oxygenation of the baby and is manifested by abnormal heart rhythms.
The impact of birth: not to be overlooked
With her head clear, the midwife takes out one shoulder then the other. The rest of the child’s body follows without difficulty. Your child has just been born. For the first time in his life, he breathes, he utters an immense cry, you discover his face. How does the baby feel when he arrives in our world? ” The newborn is first surprised by the cold, it is 37,8 degrees in the woman’s body and it does not get that temperature in the delivery rooms, let alone in the operating theaters. emphasizes Myriam Szejer. He is also dazzled by the light because he has never been confronted with it. The surprise effect is amplified in the event of a cesarean section. “All the mechanics of labor for the baby did not take place, he was picked up even though he had not given any sign that he was ready. It must be extremely confusing for him, ”continues the specialist. Sometimes the birth doesn’t go as planned. Labor drags on, the baby has difficulty descending, it must be extracted using an instrument. In this type of situation, “an analgesic is often prescribed to relieve the child, observes Benoît Le Goëdec. Proof that as soon as he is in our world, we consider that there has been pain. “
Psychological trauma for the baby?
Beyond the physical pain, there is the psychological trauma. When the baby is born under difficult conditions (hemorrhage, emergency cesarean section, premature delivery), the mother can unconsciously transmit her stress to the child during childbirth and in the days that follow. ” These babies find themselves caught up in maternal anguish, explains Myriam Szejer. They sleep all the time so as not to disturb her or they are very agitated, inconsolable. Paradoxically, it is a way for them to reassure the mother, to keep her alive. “
Ensure continuity in the reception of the newborn
Nothing is final. And the newborn also has this capacity for resilience which means that when it is snuggled up against its mother, it regains confidence and opens serenely to the world around it. Psychoanalysts have insisted on the importance of welcoming the newborn and medical teams are now particularly attentive to it. Perinatal specialists are more and more interested in childbirth conditions to interpret the various ailments of young children and adults. ” It is the circumstances of the birth that can be traumatic, not the birth itself. Says Benoît Le Goëdec. Bright light, agitation, manipulations, mother-baby separation. “If all goes well, we must promote the natural event, whether in the delivery positions or in the reception of the baby.” Who knows, maybe the baby won’t remember the considerable effort it took to be born, if it’s welcomed in a mild climate. « The main thing is to ensure continuity with the world he has just left. », Confirms Myriam Szejer. The psychoanalyst recalls the importance of words to address to the newborn, in particular if the birth was difficult. “It is important to tell the baby what happened, why he had to be separated from his mother, why this panic in the delivery room …” Reassured, the child finds his bearings and can then start a quiet life .